Bühler Group
Bühler Group is a Swiss industrial technology company that develops equipment, plants, and services for food processing, feed production, grain transformation, and advanced materials manufacturing.
Last updated October 17, 2026
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Overview
Bühler Group is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of industrial equipment and process systems headquartered in Uzwil, in the canton of St. Gallen. Its technologies are used to transform agricultural raw materials into foods and animal feeds and to manufacture components and materials for industrial applications. The company combines mechanical and thermal process engineering with automation, sorting, materials processing, and plant-integration capabilities. The business originated in 1860, when Adolf Bühler Sr. established an iron foundry in Uzwil. Bühler initially served the textile and general engineering industries, but progressively moved toward grain-processing machinery. It produced cast rolls for roller mills in the 1870s and delivered its first complete flour mill around 1890. International expansion began early, with affiliated companies and sales offices established in European markets during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Pasta and brewing machinery were added to the portfolio after 1900. Bühler developed a second major technology base in die casting. After finding that available imported machines did not meet its requirements, the company created a dedicated die-casting department in 1927. That activity later became a substantial business serving automotive, consumer, and industrial component manufacturers. The company also experimented with several other fields over its history, including textile equipment, vacuum cleaners, and newspaper-printing machinery, although these activities were subsequently discontinued or reduced. After the Second World War, Bühler invested in technical education, research, international sales, and digital systems. René Bühler helped establish the Swiss Milling School in 1957, reinforcing the company’s role in professional training for the milling sector. The group entered China commercially in 1981 and opened a local office three years later. It expanded through acquisitions in sorting, milling, die casting, optical coating, food equipment, and related process technologies, including Sortex, Schmidt-Seeger, Leybold Optics, Prince Machine, and Haas Food Equipment. The modern group is organized mainly around Grain & Food and Advanced Materials. Grain & Food covers grain handling and quality, milling, malting and brewing, optical sorting, value nutrition, feed, extrusion, chocolate, coffee, pasta, snacks, and other consumer-food processes. Advanced Materials includes die casting, grinding and dispersing, thin-film optical systems, plastics processing, and related continuous thermal processes. Bühler typically supplies complete production lines or integrated systems rather than individual machines alone, along with engineering, commissioning, maintenance, modernization, and process-support services. Bühler remains family-owned and operates internationally through manufacturing, engineering, service, sales, and technology locations. Its stated strategic themes include improving resource efficiency, reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing food and material waste, and enabling more sustainable production. The company is therefore positioned between industrial machinery, process engineering, and technology services, with customers in food, feed, mobility, packaging, electronics, coatings, and other manufacturing industries.
History
Bühler Group traces its origins to an iron foundry established by Adolf Bühler Sr. in Uzwil on February 10, 1860. A mechanical workshop followed in 1871, and the company began making cast rolls for roller mills the next year. Although its early work included textile-industry components and general metalworking, Bühler increasingly concentrated on milling technology. By about 1890 it had delivered a complete flour mill, shifting from component manufacture toward the design and construction of entire processing plants. Internationalization began during the company’s first generation of expansion. A Paris affiliate was established in 1891, followed by a Barcelona sales office, a Milan affiliate in 1900, and a Naples operation in 1902. Adolf Bühler Sr. transferred leadership to his son Adolf Bühler Jr. in 1896. After 1900, the product range broadened into pasta and brewing machinery. The company grew substantially before the First World War and employed more than one thousand people by 1920. It introduced employee-oriented facilities such as a canteen and developed industrial infrastructure connected to the Uzwil site. Bühler entered die casting after concluding that machines available from the United States did not satisfy its requirements. A specialized department was created in 1927, forming the basis of the later Die Casting business. The company continued to diversify in the first half of the twentieth century, including temporary activities in newspaper-printing equipment and household machinery. Some of these businesses were later closed; the household-machinery affiliate, which had produced products such as vacuum cleaners, was shut down in 1956, while newspaper-printing equipment was eventually discontinued. The postwar period brought professional education, management succession, and the adoption of new information systems. René Bühler joined the executive board in 1934. He later helped found the Swiss Milling School in 1957, an institution that reflected Bühler’s close relationship with the international milling profession. Electronic data processing was introduced in 1965, and by 1970 the company employed several thousand people, including a substantial apprentice population. A new phase of international growth began in Asia. Bühler sold a grain-processing plant in China in 1981 and opened its first Chinese office in 1984. Urs Felix Bühler became chief executive in 1986 after joining the board earlier in the decade. During this period the company used acquisitions to reinforce its technology portfolio. Richard Frisse was acquired in Germany in 1986, Sortex in London in 1993, Prince Machine in the United States in 2006, Schmidt-Seeger in 2010, and Leybold Optics in 2012. These transactions broadened Bühler’s capabilities in food processing, optical sorting, die casting, and advanced materials. Calvin Grieder took over as chief executive in 2001, followed by Stefan Scheiber in 2016. Bühler acquired Haas Food Equipment in 2017 and incorporated it into the Consumer Foods division, adding further expertise in confectionery and food processing. The group also developed a network of regional subsidiaries, distributors, service partners, and manufacturing sites to support customers internationally. Today, Bühler’s activities are organized around Grain & Food and Advanced Materials. Grain & Food serves grain, flour, feed, malting, brewing, pasta, snacks, extrusion, chocolate, coffee, and related consumer-food applications. Advanced Materials serves die casting, grinding and dispersing, thin-film optics, plastics recycling, and continuous heating, cooling, crystallization, drying, and solid-state-polycondensation processes. Bühler remains privately held by the Bühler family and presents resource efficiency, lower energy and water consumption, waste reduction, and sustainable production as central themes of its technology strategy.
- 2026
Change in executive leadership
[1]Stefan Scheiber assumed the chairmanship and Samuel Schaer became chief executive.
- 2017
Haas Food Equipment acquisition
[1]Bühler acquired Haas Food Equipment and integrated it into Consumer Foods.
- 2016
Stefan Scheiber becomes CEO
[1]Stefan Scheiber, who had joined Bühler as a management trainee in 1986, became chief executive.
- 2012
Leybold Optics acquisition
[1]Bühler acquired Leybold Optics and integrated it into the Advanced Materials division.
- 2006
Expansion of die casting in North America
[1]Bühler acquired Prince Machine Company and formed BühlerPrince to serve the die-casting market.
- 2001
Calvin Grieder becomes CEO
[1]Calvin Grieder succeeded Urs Felix Bühler as chief executive.
- 1993
Acquisition of Sortex
[1]The purchase of London-based Sortex added optical sorting technology to the group’s portfolio.
- 1981
Entry into China
[1]Bühler sold a grain-processing plant in China, marking its commercial entry into the Chinese market.
- 1957
Swiss Milling School founded
[1]René Bühler helped establish the Swiss Milling School, supporting technical training for the milling industry.
- 1927
Creation of the die-casting department
[1]Bühler established a dedicated department to design and build die-casting machines.
Products and positioning
A family-owned global industrial technology and process-engineering provider for food, feed, and advanced materials manufacturing.
Grain processing
Grain and milling systems
Bühler supplies equipment and complete plants for receiving, cleaning, handling, conditioning, grinding, separating, and packaging grains. Its milling technologies transform wheat and other grains into flour and other ingredients, with systems designed for industrial mills as well as specialized applications. The offering includes roller mills, related process machinery, plant engineering, automation, commissioning, maintenance, and modernization services.
Food and grain quality · 1993
Optical sorting systems
Through its sorting activities, including the Sortex business, Bühler develops optical systems that identify and remove unwanted material or quality defects from grains, seeds, food ingredients, and other products. These systems use automated inspection and separation to improve consistency, food safety, yield, and production efficiency in processing plants.
Extrusion and value nutrition
Feed and food extrusion systems
Bühler’s extrusion technologies process raw materials into animal feeds, pet foods, aquaculture feeds, breakfast cereals, snacks, and other food ingredients. The systems integrate preparation, extrusion, thermal treatment, drying, cooling, and handling, allowing manufacturers to control texture, shape, nutrition, and throughput.
Consumer food processing
Chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and consumer-food systems
Bühler provides process technology for cocoa and nut preparation, chocolate and specialty-mass production, coffee processing, dry pasta, couscous, snacks, and related consumer foods. The portfolio ranges from individual machines to integrated production lines and includes process control, thermal treatment, recipe management, plant engineering, and after-sales support.
Advanced materials · 1927
Die-casting machines and cells
Bühler manufactures cold-chamber die-casting machines and integrated cells for producing metal components. Its systems cover peripheral equipment and applications such as aluminum and magnesium casting, semi-solid metal processing, squeeze casting, and vacuum-assisted casting. The business serves automotive and other industrial component manufacturers through equipment, engineering, service, and modernization support.
Advanced materials
Grinding and dispersing systems
These systems are used for true grinding and dispersion in products such as printing inks, paints, coatings, pigments, electronic materials, fine chemicals, life-science products, and cosmetics. Bühler combines process equipment with application expertise to help customers control particle size, dispersion quality, energy use, and production scale.
Advanced materials · 2012
Thin-film optical systems
The Leybold Optics activities provide equipment for depositing thin films and optical coatings. Such systems are used in the production of coated components and materials requiring controlled optical or surface properties. The business forms part of Bühler’s Advanced Materials division.
Advanced materials
Plastics recycling and continuous thermal systems
Bühler supplies systems for plastics recycling and continuous processes involving heating, cooling, crystallization, drying, and solid-state polycondensation. These technologies support the preparation and treatment of polymer materials and are aimed at industrial manufacturers seeking controlled material properties and efficient processing.
Brand decisions
2026
Executive successionOtherBackground
The family-owned group continued its long-term management succession under a new leadership arrangement.
Action taken
Stefan Scheiber moved to the chairmanship and Samuel Schaer became chief executive officer.
Aftermath
The change preserved continuity while transferring day-to-day executive responsibility to a new CEO.
2017
Acquisition of Haas Food EquipmentM&ABackground
Bühler aimed to reinforce its Consumer Foods activities and broaden its food-processing offering.
Action taken
It purchased Haas Food Equipment in Austria and integrated the company into the Consumer Foods division.
Aftermath
The acquisition strengthened Bühler’s capabilities in food and confectionery processing equipment.
2012
Acquisition of Leybold OpticsM&ABackground
Bühler was broadening its Advanced Materials activities beyond conventional food and grain equipment.
Action taken
It acquired Leybold Optics and integrated the business into Advanced Materials.
Aftermath
Bühler added thin-film optical coating systems to its industrial technology portfolio.
2006
Acquisition of Prince Machine CompanyM&ABackground
Bühler sought to strengthen its die-casting equipment business in North America and internationally.
Action taken
It acquired Prince Machine Company from Idra and developed the resulting BühlerPrince business.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Bühler’s die-casting manufacturing and service presence.
Recent events
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